NZ volcano eruption: passengers lash Royal Caribbean for handling of disaster
A passenger on board the Ovation of the Seas has lashed the way they handled the White Island disaster.
A passenger on board the Ovation of the Seas has lashed the cruise ship’s owners for the way they handled the White Island disaster.
The man, who declined to give his name, said his son had lost friends when the volcano erupted during their an on-shore tour, but had been offered no counselling or grief services.
The Royal Caribbean owned cruise ship arrived back in Sydney harbour just before 6am on Monday, a week after the volcano eruption killed and critically injured a shore party of 24 of its passengers.
As of Sunday there were 16 Australians confirmed dead as a result of the disaster.
The emotional father showed the media a mental health support note that had been given to grief-stricken passengers on their last night aboard the ship.
A mental health support note that was given to grief-stricken passengers on their last night aboard the Ovation of the Seas, which returned from NZ this morning following last weeks tragic volcano eruption @australian pic.twitter.com/QemFj4ELmu
— Emily Ritchie (@emritchiejourno) December 15, 2019
He said his son had made friends with two people on the cruise who died.
“I’ve got a son, 17, who lost two friends that he made,” he said.
“They try to offer you mental health or support on the last night when you’re about to get off.”
He described the boat as a “prison ship” following the eruption, saying Royal Caribbean handled the situation terribly.
The man said passengers had relied on news media rather than cruise staff for updates on the disaster.
“It was a prison ship in the end, you weren’t allowed to know anything,” he said.
A honeymooning couple on board the boat said they were just relieved that a plan to join fellow passengers for the onshore tour on the active volcano had been thwarted.
Sydneysiders Greg and Michelle Fawkner, who had married just days earlier, had planned to join fellow passengers from the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship for the tour of the volcano. But as they tried to book the trip, they realised it was already sold out.
“We were really lucky because if it hadn’t been sold out we would’ve been on that tour,” Mr Fawkner said.
As they disembarked, the Fawkners told The Australian the cruise ship fell “eerily silent” after the captain announced the tragedy, late last Monday evening.
“Unfortunately we witnessed one of the senior staff members having to tell a family member, and she was beside herself. Incredibly distraught in the hallway, she could barely walk,” Mrs Fawkner said.
The pair said they first heard about the details of the eruption from family who reached out to check on their safety, echoing other passengers who criticised the ship’s crew for failing to keep them updated.
“Once the captain did the announcement the whole ship went quiet, it was really eerie actually,” Mrs Fawkner said.
The couple said they relied on communication from family back home in Sydney and the news on the TV in their state room for updates on the disaster.
“We didn’t quite know what was going on, we didn’t really know what had happened on White Island,” Mrs Fawkner said.
“We actually first heard about it from family contacting us to see if we were okay.”
They said the mood on the ship had been “incredibly sombre” following the eruption, and that Royal Caribbean had been great in managing the situation.
“They actually sent some of their staff off the ship with family members to make sure they were okay and looked after,” Mrs Fawkner said.
Mr Fawkner said he didn’t hear anyone complain even though the trip itinerary was significantly changed after the fatal incident, meaning passengers missed out on what is lauded as a highlight - Milford Sound.
“We are just happy to be home safe,” Mrs Fawkner said. “It’s certainly a trip we won’t ever forget.”
Passengers also lashed New Zealand volcano tour operators as “extremely reckless” for taking fellow travellers out to White Island despite warnings of increased seismic activity.
Josua Joubert, a South African tourist who was onboard the ship for a family holiday, questioned “who in their right minds” would continue to operate a tour to an active volcano that just six days earlier had reported increased levels of activity.
“It is extremely reckless for anybody to even consider operating a tour cruise like that with a warning issued,” Mr Joubert said.
He said passengers were left confused in the aftermath of the event, with poor communication from Royal Caribbean staff as to what was going on.
“Although the captain tried to keep everybody informed, he wouldn’t quite say what was going on and we weren’t told we were going to stay in port until much later,” Mr Joubert said.
“Some of the passengers went to the guest services to start a petition to demand to know what was going on, whether we’d be leaving port or not. We were actually kept informed by what we heard from friends and family back in Australia and what we saw on TV. They knew some of the stuff that we didn’t.”
He said his daughter had met 15-year-old Zoe Hosking - one of the victims of the disaster - and that there was a “really sombre” atmosphere onboard the cruise ever since.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he said.
“They tried to continue with the cruise, the live music and performances, but it’s difficult to sit there and enjoy yourself when you know these people just lost their lives.”
He said his family had been refunded for one day of their trip, which was a “nice gesture” but he questioned “what is a few dollars worth on a life?”
Divers set for fourth to mission to White Island
The ship’s arrival in Sydney comes as police divers prepare to join disaster victim identification specialists for a fourth mission to White Island on Monday after repeated air and naval trips failed to find a missing Australian woman and another victim.
The Australian can confirm that as of Sunday, all remaining Australians who survived the eruption have been flown to Sydney or Melbourne where they are receiving specialist burns treatment, including the comatose sister of Melbourne 21-year-old Krystal Browitt, who was killed.
Stephanie Browitt, 23, was flown back to their home city to join their father, Paul, at The Alfred hospital, where their wife and mother, Marie — who did not join the White Island excursion — is at their bedsides.
The Craigieburn family are some of the many victims of the eruption who were travelling on cruise ship Ovation of the Seas. A spokeswoman for Royal Caribbean cruise line confirmed the vessel was expected to arrive back in Sydney about 6am on Monday.
Police have so far confirmed 16 of the 47 people on White Island when it erupted last Monday have died, after a NSW man who had been evacuated to Concord Hospital in Sydney succumbed to his wounds on Sunday. However, the authorities’ toll does not include several of those officially classified as missing but whose deaths have been announced by their families.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne will visit New Zealand on Monday to convey Australia’s “sincere condolences and heartfelt gratitude for the efforts of all involved”.
Senator Payne will meet New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her New Zealand counterpart and Deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters, when a minute’s silence will be observed at 2.11pm local time, exactly a week after the December 9 eruption.
Members of New Zealand Police’s Search and Rescue, Disaster Victim Identification and National Dive Squad carried out missions on the island and in surrounding waters on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but were able to recover the bodies of only six of the eight victims they believed to be on the island. “While it is frustrating not to have located the remaining two bodies, I’d like to reiterate our commitment to doing all we can to provide a sense of closure to the grieving families,” NZ Police deputy commissioner John Tims said. Mr Tims said he was pleased “staff have come back safe and well, given the physical and mental challenges involved in this operation”.
“While it is most likely that the two remaining bodies are in the water, we need to be sure,” he said.
“Police will now consider how best to proceed. Weather dependent, the Police National Dive Squad will be out again tomorrow.”
The presumed death toll of 16 includes Sydney brothers Matthew and Berend (Ben) Hollander, 14 and 16 respectively, and their parents Martin and Barbara.
Zoe Hosking, a 15-year-old from Adelaide, and her stepfather Gavin Dallow, 58, are also among the dead, while their mother and wife, Lisa, 48, was flown to The Alfred in Melbourne, where she remains in a critical condition.
Anthony Langford, of North Willoughby on Sydney’s lower north shore, was confirmed dead on Sunday, while his wife, Kristine, and 17-year-old daughter, Winona, are missing presumed dead.
Their son, 19-year-old Jesse Langford, was flown to a Sydney hospital at the weekend.
The family of Coffs Harbour couple Richard Elzer and Karla Matthews, both 32, has announced their deaths, as well as of their travelling companion Jason Griffiths, 33. Brisbane mother Julie Richards, 47, and daughter Jessica, 20, are also among the dead.
Police officially confirm identities of four more victims
NZ Police on Monday morning officially confirmed the names of four more victims they had positively identified as having died in the volcano tragedy.
Those named include Brisbane vet science student Jessica Richards, 20, Coffs Harbour man Jason Griffiths, 33, Sydney man Martin Hollander, 48, and Sydney woman Kristine Langford, 45.
Ms Richards and Mr Griffiths had already been confirmed as having died by their families, while Mr Hollander and Ms Langford were missing presumed dead.
Another seven Australian citizens and permanent residents were officially confirmed dead by New Zealand police over the weekend, including Mr Hollander’s sons, Knox Grammar schoolboys Matthew Hollander, 13, and Berend “Ben” Hollander, 16, who were US citizens and Australian permanent residents.
Ms Langford’s husband Anthony Langford, 51, was also named, along with Melbourne woman Krystal Browitt, 21, Adelaide lawyer Gavin Dallow, 53, and his stepdaughter Zoe Hosking, 15, and Coffs Harbour woman Karla Mathews, 32.
Ms Richards’ mother, Brisbane IT specialist Julie Richards, 47, and Ms Mathews’ partner, Coffs Harbour man Richard Elzer, 32, have also been confirmed dead by their families, although they are yet to be officially identified by police.
Mr Hollanders’ wife Barbara, an Australian permanent resident, and the Langfords’ daughter Winona, 17, have also been identified as missing, presumed dead, by their families.
An unidentified Australian man died on Sunday after being medivaced to Sydney’s Concord Hospital in a critical condition.
Krystal Browitt’s sister Stephanie, 23, and father Paul remain in Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital, as does Zoe Hosking’s mother Lisa Dallow, 48. All were in a critical condition on Monday.
Among those who were medivaced to Sydney hospitals were the Langfords’ son Jesse, 19, and retired Engadine couple Nick and Marion London, both 56.
Two patients were in a critical condition in the Concord Hospital on Monday, with a third patient stable.
Three patients were in a critical condition at the Royal North Shore Hospital with another two stable.
On Monday Ms Matthews’ family said in a statement: “We recently received confirmation that our beloved sister Karla has been positively identified as one of the 6 people recovered from Whakaari earlier this week.
“Our family is absolutely heartbroken and our big sister will be incredibly missed. We have an enormous sense of relief that she has finally been found and we patiently wait with the Elzer family for news of Karla’s partner Rick so we are able to bring them home together.
“We would like to take this moment to express our deep gratitude to both the New Zealand and Australian governments for everything they have done for our family this past week. We would like to especially thank the New Zealand Police for their unwavering efforts towards reuniting all families with their lost loved ones.
“We respectfully decline further requests for information and ask that our privacy is respected as we grieve the loss of our beautiful sister.’
The Langford family also released a statement, saying: “Anthony and Kristine, loving parents to Jesse and Winona, were a wonderful couple and devoted to both their immediate and extended families. They will be greatly missed by all who knew them.
“Winona is currently unaccounted for and Jesse is recovering in hospital, receiving excellent care.
“At this difficult time, we ask that the media respect our family’s privacy. We will not be making further comment”.
Additional reporting:
Joe Kelly
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